


and there she floated above the ground

by tinybox



Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [20]
Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Deja Vu, False Memories, Love Confessions, References to Depression, Suicide, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:35:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22963267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinybox/pseuds/tinybox
Summary: Sayori confesses her true feelings, and everyone lives happily ever after.Right?
Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619047
Kudos: 8





	and there she floated above the ground

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, things are pretty serious in this one.  
> There's going to be suicide, and that's a really heavy subject to read about.  
> If you want to skip the part about suicide, stop reading at the second save, and come back when it says "END"

***Load**

Natsuki suddenly jumps back, her eyes wide. "S-Sayori?!"

Turning, I see that Sayori's standing by the fence nearby, smiling sheepishly. "H-Hi, Kaito...I just dropped by to say hi." 

Flushing, Natsuki bluntly says, "Y-You should have come earlier! I'm already on my way out, so..." 

"Aw, really?" Sayori sadly asks. "That's too bad..."

"Yeah, well..." Natsuki trails off, clearly feeling just as awkward as I am right now. "...I'll see you at the festival tomorrow," Natsuki eventually says. "So it's all fine. Just try not to eat any cupcakes before then! Anyway, later!"

Clearly flustered, Natsuki hurries off, most likely not seeing Sayori's wave goodbye.

Reaching out, I straighten Sayori's bow. "It's great you came over," I tell her. "I thought I wouldn't get to see you until tomorrow. What made you change your mind?"

With a sad smile, Sayori explains, "Ahaha...well...I tried staying in my room...but my imagination was being really mean to me. So I had to come here and see it for myself." 

"...Eh? What are you talking about?"

"You know..." Sayori vaguely says. "How you were having so much fun with Natsuki. And how close you got to her."

Sayori's lip wobbles dangerously. "It makes me...really happy..."

Tears start rolling down Sayori's face. 

"Why am I feeling this way, Kaito?" Sayori sobs. "I'm supposed to be happy for you. Why does it feel like my heart is splitting in half?" 

Clutching her chest, Sayori whimpers, "It hurts so much...everything hurts so much...this would be so much better if I could just disappear!"

"Sayori, please don't say stuff like that!" I gasp. 

"It's true, Kaito! If I wasn't here, then you wouldn't have to waste your sympathy on me! You wouldn't have to put up with me being selfish!" 

"Sayori, being with you is never a waste of time!"

She shakes her head sadly. "Monika was right..." she sniffles, "I should just..."

"Monika...? Monika was right about what?"

Sayori just stares at me, tears trickling down her face.

"...Sayori, if the positions were reversed, and I was the one saying that I'm not worth your time, would you agree with me?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then why is it so different with you?" I gently ask. "Sayori, caring about you isn't the burden your mind is making it out to be. It's something that makes me happy, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. Even if it takes an entire lifetime...I'm going to be right by your side until you don't feel any pain."

Sayori looks away. "B-But.." she whispers, "I'm scared, Kaito. I'm really scared..."

Reaching out, I put my hand on her shoulder. 

"What are you scared of, Sayori?"

"I'm scared that...that...I might like you more than you like me."

"Imposs-"

Sayori cuts me off. "I was weak, and I started to like you too much...I did this to myself." 

Taking a deep breath, Sayori blurts out, "I love you so much I want to die! That's how I feel! And...and..."

"Sayori, that enough! I'm not worth dying for!" 

I slide my hand down Sayori's arm and squeeze her hand in my own. "Sayori, do you trust me?"

Wordlessly, Sayori nods.

"I can't say I know what's best for you, but...I think this is what you need to hear most of all. Sayori..."

***I love you**

***̷̨̱̩͈͈͚͕͒̊̊͐̌̒̃̏Y̷̠͕̞̻̻̣̮̘̠̗̪̰̑̿̆͛̎͌̽͘̚͝ỏ̴̢̧̢͇̭͍̗̍̇͘͝u̸̮̟̬͔̇̓'̷̡̧̡̢̼̞̰̻̩̝̻̘̄̇̋̏ḽ̵͖͓̿͌̓͒͗̔̑̍̏̂l̴̨̛̰̥̰͋̌͊̂ ̸̨͇̖̱̬͎̼̜̄̈́̊̈́̆̄̈́ạ̴̢̡̧͔̜͚̟͚͒̔̋̔̈́̈́͆͐̕l̵̰̰̭̥̬̥̿͋͊̏͌̒̈͋̓͘͝w̷̛̼̿̐̽͐̿̆̽͋̑͂a̸̡̢̧̗͈͍͈̥̻͎̠̩̰̦̒͐̃̄̓͋̚̕͘͝͠y̷̮̤̭̻̦̯̩̗̾͗͋͒̓̍̓̿͂̾̅s̴̬͕͗̿ͅ ̸̧̧̢̢͕̖̖̝̹̯̞̲̊̔̔̐͝b̸̡̡̧̮̺̬̠̙̲̳̬̪̮̖͍̽̆̊̒̿͆̾͑̅̀̐̃͝ȩ̶̧̢̭̼̬͔̘͙͎̖̬͔̩̖̅́̈́̔̑͑̽͛͝ ̸̻̦͓̟̰̭̓͂̍̈́̃̕͜ṃ̵̨͇̳̺̹͗̐̊̔͗̃̎̃͗͝y̵̡̛̜̞̖͚̲͐͌̏̃ ̷̢̢̛̙̟̲̟̩̭̈́̿̎̈́́͛͆͘̕d̴̡̧̛̥͍̭̱͙͓͇͓̲̗͍̿̊̀͂̋̑̎̕̕͝e̸̛̬̙̰̻͖͊́̓̾͛̆̉͑̂̆̇ă̸̡͙͙͙̟̰͖͕̼̲̰̞̖̔̈̚͘͜͜͝r̴̥͇̈̓͗̿̉e̶̺͖̭̲͉̳̫̖̱̖̥͙͉̲̊̌͗̆̎̈́͋̔ş̴̞̥̪͍͔͖̤̤͎͇̉̔̅͜͝t̸̪͉̬̺͎̜̠̲̦͔͓͕̓̅ͅͅͅ ̴̢̛̪̤̘͎͒̑̏͋̂̆̈́̃̀̆̈́͘̕͠f̸̡̻̝̗̩̲̟̐̋̅̑̇͆ř̴̛̪͇̪͕̜̀͛͝ͅĩ̵̧͔͓̦͇ẽ̴̛̺̣͍͕͈̿̂͒̾͂̋͒̓͘͘͝n̸̖̣̣̹̓d̷̢͗̋͛̒̒͗̋͘͘͠͝**

"...do you really think I could spend so much time with you and not fall in love with you?"

"Eh-?"

I gently squeeze her hand a second time. "Sayori, I've always loved you. I was just too much of a doofus to realize that. You are, and have always been, the most important person in my life. That's why I'll accept any of your burdens."

Suddenly, Sayori wraps her arms tightly around me, and I return the hug.

"Kaito..." Sayori whispers, "is this really true?"

I pull Sayori closer. "Of course it is. When have I ever lied to you about something as important as this?"

"I want to be with you forever," Sayori whispers. 

"Me too."

I feel Sayori's grip around me weaken a little bit.

"What is this...?" Sayori unhappily asks. "I'm supposed to be happy right now...I always thought this would be the happiest moment for me. But why...but why won't the rain clouds go away?"

"Sayori...there's nothing wrong with what you're feeling. Change doesn't happen overnight...unless you're playing a video game or something. But this is real life, and everything's a bit more complicated and messy here. No matter what it takes, I'll be with you every step of the way."

"...Okay," Sayori sniffles. "I trust you."

Slowly, we release each other. 

"So...do you want the festival to be our first date?" I ask. "No pressure either way."

Sayori smiles sadly at me. "I don't know...this is all very new to me. I just..."

"Hey, no worries! We'll go at whatever pace you want."

"Even if I get really sad...is this the best thing for me?"

I shrug. "Honestly, there's not really a perfect solution to every problem or something. Not that you're a problem! Um...wait, what I mean is that I'm pretty sure this is the best thing for both of us. Unless...is this making you sad?"

"I-I don't know..." Sayori whispers. "I don't understand what I'm feeling! It felt like a bunch of thorns when you told me you loved me...but that's why I want to trust you. You know what's best for me."

"...Yeah, I do. That's my promise."

Even when saying that, I know that, right now, I've never felt more uncertain when it comes to Sayori. 

_I know that I love her and she loves me...but will that be enough?_

_Should I be doing something different?_

_Am I doing this wrong?_

_I don't know._

_But...I know that Sayori's the most important person to me, and I'll do anything to have a happy future with her._

***Save**

It's the day of the festival, and I'm really excited to spend the day with Sayori. 

I try calling her several times, but she doesn't pick up her phone.

_I'll let her sleep in for once. Yesterday was pretty rough on her._

_...I just wish I had someone to help me carry all these cupcakes._

I stack the cupcake tins on top of each other, hoping not the squish the bottom cupcakes.

_Natsuki would kill me if I ruined a single cupcake, let alone an entire tray._

Speaking of Natsuki, she's already texting up a storm, but I can't respond, thanks to my hands being full.

Funnily enough, I probably feel the same way as Natsuki about the event- more excited for it to be over so I can spend the rest of the day with Sayori and the other girls at the festival.

_Knowing Monika, though, I'm sure the event will be great, too._

"Kaito!" Monika greets me with a cheerful smile and a wave. "You're the first one here. Thanks for being early!"

"That's funny, I thought at least Yuri would be here," I say, carefully setting the cupcakes down on the teacher's desk. 

Monika is going from desk to desk, setting booklets on each one. 

_Those must be the ones with all the poems we're going to be reading._

In the end, not trusting my mediocre writing skills, I found a random poem online that I thought Monika would like, and submitted it. 

So, that's the one I'll be performing. 

"I'm surprised you didn't bring Sayori with you," Monika comments. 

"I thought it would be good for her to have some extra sleep," I explain. 

"Ahaha!" Monika giggles. "You should take a little more responsibility for her, Kaito! I mean, especially after your exchange with Sayori yesterday..."

_Wait, what?_

"You kind of let her hanging this morning, didn't you?" 

"E-Exchange?" I stutter. "Monika- you know about that?"

Monika smiles sweetly at me. "Of course I do. I'm the club president, after all."

_Did Sayori really tell her about it that quickly?_

"Monika, I don't think you know the full story, so-"

"Don't worry," Monika interrupts. "I probably know a lot more than you think."

"Eh...?

Monika is being as friendly as usual, but for some reason I feel a chill down my spine after hearing that.

"Hey, do you want to check out the pamphlets?" Monika asks, breaking me out of the spell. "They came out really nice!"

"...Sure."

I grab one of the pamphlets laid out on the desks.

"They look pretty cool," I compliment. "Something like this will definitely make people take the club more seriously." 

"Yeah, I thought so, too!" Monika agrees.

I flip through the pages; each member's poem is neatly printed on each page, giving it an almost professional feel.

I recognize Natsuki and Yuri's poems from the ones they performed during our practice. 

Then, I flip to Sayori's poem.

"What's this...?" I mutter in confusion under my breath. "It's different from the one she performed yesterday...actually, it's one I've never read before."

_**%** _

_Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of_   
_Get._   
_Out._   
_Of._   
_My._   
_Head._

_Get out of my head before I do what I know is best for you._   
_Get out of my head before I listen to everything she said to me._   
_Get out of my head before I show you how much I love you._   
_Get out of my head before I finish writing this poem._

_But a poem is never actually finished._   
_It just stops moving._

I stare at the poem unthinkingly for a second. "Ah-"

_What is this...?_

Reading the poem, I get a pit in my stomach.

_Something isn't right._

"Kaito?" Monika asks, brow furrowed in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I-I...don't know," I admit. "It's just-"

_This poem feels completely different from everything else Sayori's written._

But more than that...

"I-I changed my mind!" I blurt out. "I'm going to get Sayori, so..."

Monika smiles sweetly at me. "Well, alright! Try not to take too long, okay?"

I quickly leave the classroom.

"Don't strain yourself!" Monika calls out after me. 

Ignoring her, I quicken my pace.

_What was I thinking?_

_I should have waited for her to get up, or helped her myself!_

Even though Sayori's house isn't that far from the school, by the time I get there, I'm drenched in sweat from all that running, and there's a stitch in my side.

" _Huff...huff..._ I really need to...get in better shape..."

After catching my breath, I go and knock on the front door.

I don't expect an answer, since she's not picking up her phone, either. 

***Save**

Like yesterday, I use the key and let myself in.

"Sayori?" I call. "It's time to wake up, sleepyhead!"

No response.

_She really is a heavy sleeper..._

"Sayori...don't make me come up there!" I playfully warn. 

No response.

I head upstairs, making my footsteps as loud as possible.

Outside Sayori's room, I knock on the door using the not-so secret knock we came up with when we were kids.

"Sayori, I'm about to break into your room. I'll give you three seconds before I bust in, ninja-style."

Again, there's no response. 

_I really don't want to invade her privacy like this...even if we're technically dating._

_But it looks like I have no choice._

I gently open the door.

"Sayo-"

Sayori is hanging from the ceiling, her head in a noose.

_her bow is crooked just her neck why am I focusing on her bow when she's_

swaying back and forth, her eyes 

_her eyes_

_her eyes_

_her eyes_

devoid of life

and the rope is creaking from the weight of

from the weight of

her 

c

o

r

p

s

e 

swinging above the ground

like a puppet dangling from a string

_no no no, this isn't real_

_this has to be a nightmare_

_it...has to be!_

_any moment i'll wake up_

_Sayori wouldn't do this._

_I told her I would be there for her I told her I would be there for her I told her I would be there for her but I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed her and nothing can bring her back_

_this isn't a game where i can reset and try something different_

_there are no second chances_

_fuck the literature club_

_fuck the entire world and everyone on it_

_fuck the universe_

_i'm nothing without her_

_i should have done something different_

_and i'll carry this guilt until the day I die._

_I can never take it back._

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

_never_

**END**

***93efjhdbnkjhkhd**

***Load Game**

***Settings**

***Help**

***Quit**

***93efjhdbnkjhkhd**

I see an annoying girl running towards me from the distance, waving her arms in the air like she's totally oblivious to any attention she might draw to herself.

"7he8wndjjw!!!~%{Z`qIud+.he!" she frantically shouts. 

Typical @1*~?//=&)

We've been best friends and neighbors since we were children. We're very different from each other, and she's the kind of friend I probably wouldn't make today, but it just kind of works out because we've known each other for so long.

We used to walk to school together on days like this, but around high school she would oversleep more frequently, and I would get anxious about being late, so I usually don't wait around anymore.

_No point trying to runaway- I'm about as fast as gazelle with a broken leg._

_...Make that two broken legs._

So I stand at the crosswalk, watching as @#dSGfer^ runs up.

"(oo=9H_ie(^hNe?Qb&83$oPodfergtbkS," she pants, finally catching up to me. "&ed7,,Zjshi9fksfjhkgfc9^^#@089mwecgd3rrd. huerh))38rfjs@#u4!"

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It's an ordinary school day, just like any other.

I think mornings are generally the worst, being surrounded by couples and friend groups walking together, watching them and knowing I'll never know what it's like to walk to school with a friend by my side. 

I always tell myself that I just need to make a little more effort...but I've never been able to drum up enough motivation to join any clubs, and the idea of approaching someone at random fills me with anxiety. 

It's just easier to be alone.

Still...maybe I should at least try and be a little more social, and if I join a club, at least I'll be with people who have the same interests as me.

The school day is as ordinary as usual, and it's over before I know it. 

After packing my things, I stare blankly at the blackboard, looking for an ounce of motivation.

"Clubs..." I mutter out loud to myself. 

To be honest, there aren't any that interest me.

Besides, most of the clubs would probably be way to demanding for me to want to deal with.

_...I feel motivated all right...motivated to go home and take a nap instead._

"Kaito?"

I̷̧̢̻̪̰͕̝̣̟̦̞̩̟̺̎̋͐̿͗̂͝͝ͅt̸̰͔̬͔͙̮͕͙̖̭͇̽́͋́̈͑̈̅͆͂͘'̴͔͗̒͐͌͊͝s̸̢̛̻͓̹̜͔͚̞̔ ̴̨͕̼̼͉̩̳̯͂͂̿̍S̷̨̛̖̯͈̱̜̲̺̹̈̈́̿͆̃̔̌͠ả̶̜̣̲̬̠̣͕̓̆͆̎͛̈̔y̴̨̟̮͔͙͐̿͆̐̈́̄̈́̕o̴̡̨͓̫̺̜͚͎̹͓̣̼̠͇̐̇̑̄̌ͅŕ̴̡͈̟͎̩͋ì̴̡̲̤͍͇̒͋͒̇̅̈́͊.̸̥͎̦̥͙̈́͒̓̍͒̔ͅͅ ̷̢̡̢̟̝͖͓̗̺̗̻̪̗͋͜M̸̨͈̠̹̖̹͕͎̭̟̲̣͂̈́̎̃͛͜͜ą̸͍̭̘͎͑͐͂̈̃̌̽̄͘͜͝͝n̶̞̭̤̙͍̭̦̫̳̱̣̭͎͍͈͒̋̿̇͌̒̿͘,̶̝̫̱͇̍͋̒͂̕̚͝ ̴̦̱̫͖̱̲̎̌̿̅͗̈́̔̋͆̈́̀Ĩ̶̞̐̊̑͗̄͐̆̉͌͝͝ ̸̯͇̆̎͛̈́̌͒͑͋͘m̶̡̨͚̭̞̗͓̝̞͍̉͛ͅͅų̵͔̰̮̯͍̱̥͍̈́͋̉͜ͅs̸̙̲͖͖̭̼̩̍̄̾̀̉̂̅̓̃̅̆͑̕t̶̻͈̩̋̊͌͐͗͆̾̃̕͜ͅ ̴͙͖͍̝̩̜͉̬̫͕̗̍̈h̵̡̠̱͙̖̼̘͉̭̘͈̮͔͒̓̃̏̒̈́͆̏̂̿̈́̅͝ă̵̛͈͙̝̂̒̑͘v̵̜͑̿͊͌͆̄̑̿̂͆͑̿̎̃͝e̶̡͎̍̽̈͒͐͠ ̴̺̩͎͕̪̣̰̦͖̼̤̼̪̥̔̾̓̂̅͌̔͂̌̊͋̄̇r̵͖̱̻͕̫̞̩͙͓̬̜̞̓̈̃̊̌́̿̏͗͊̍̚̕ẽ̶̢̧̡̝̖͇̭̥̻͈͍̻̲̗̈́͊̽̾̄̃̈́ä̶͓̞̪̬̟͓͉́̉̏̑̉͜͠l̸̦͖̤̟̬̺͙͌͑̆̽̒̿̉͊̂̂̾̓͛͜͝ĺ̵̛̠͆̂̈́̔̚͝͝ỷ̷̨̛͇̦̻͍̘̪̹̬̤̆̈́̉ ̸͔̟̳̪̙̦̪̘͚͂̂̒ͅb̷͙̖͓͙̞̭͖̰͇̌̈͌̿̂̅̅̎̒̂͛̀e̶̢̢̡̦̣̭͈̫̮̗͉͠e̴̢̗̗̥̥̠̦̬̼̺͕͖͊̀̏ͅň̷̨̨̦͚̭̂̃̑̽͌͊ ̷̢̨̣̯̬̩͈̰̺̖̗̆͑̅̀̉͊̈̽̎͆̈́̏͜s̸̻͔̦͕͇͙̜̥̩̣͂̓̈́̆̀̔̀̒͘p̶͍̲̫̩̣͔̺̰̳͎̣̞̈̾̍̍̂͌͑̀͆̏̚͘͜͜ͅḁ̷̡̛̛͈̮̺̱̝͈͚̍͒͊̈́̐̾̏̈́̓c̷̡̢͓̘̦̦̗̯̼̹̮͚̜̔̎͂̚̚͜ḭ̴͚̖͎̞̻̎͋͗̔͌̌͋̂ñ̸̡̓̏̃͛̒̒͋͛̓̚g̵̜͉͙̹̻͆ ̵̙̘̟̎̾̎͊͊̓͛͠͠ơ̸̛̼͈̙̥͕̐̏́́̒̏̽̇̈u̸͈͓̅́̾̏ţ̴̜̠̘͚͎͉̥͙̋̍̉͑̒͒̊͑̂̀̿͛̇̈̕ ̷̛͙̠͂̓̇͋̄̌͆̉̑̔͜ī̸̡̢̠̭͙̝̪̱̩͕̤̘͔́̚͜f̵̨̗̬̻̘̹̯̯̆̆͒͊̔̋̽͐̽́̑̽̊͗͠ ̷̧̝̪̗̗͙̗̮̱̔̊̈́̑͑͝͠͠ͅḩ̴̡̭͓͚̬̘͖̪̗͕̠͉̅͗̀̑͊͜a̵̘̭̺̐̏̆̄͂̎̓͌͝͠ḓ̶̨̦̠̪͆̈̉̓̓͊̆͆̉̒n̷̮͂'̶̢̧͉͍̲͎̞̦̯̮͊͜ẗ̴̝̜̯͖́̃͑̇̽̑̄̇̎̈́͛̋͠ ̶̡̜̤̹̤̻̝̭̲̖̤͆̄̍̔̽ņ̶͍̺͈͉̣̰͈͙͈̯̣̤͋̀͗̋̾̓͐͊̋̊͒̓̔̔̇͜ͅơ̷͎̰̺̥͍̈́̂̒̂̒̐̌̓̓͘͜͜t̸̗̫͚̖̄͘i̴͚̻͔̗̣͚̳̲̬̥̹̿͝ͅc̸̻̫̀͗̌́̌̍͊̐͗͊̈́̑̈́͠ę̷̧̧̱͇͔̤͓̫̗̥̽́̀̏͌̏̽͂d̵̢̢̨̛̛͇͔̦̟̈́͋̋͑̄͒̈́̀͐̉̐̌̎ ̷̛̠̱͛̑͋̂̀̆̾̾̀͠͠h̷̢̨̛̛͍̯̊͌͂̑́̒̈́̄̚͠ė̴̡͕̻͍͓̜̪̩̓̐̄̓̾̈̽͝ṟ̵̡̧̨̛̼͔͉͖̩͔͉͚͎̳̈́̿̆̓̌̾̆̌̋̌̈͠ͅ ̴̡͓̞̝͔̩̜̜̫̰͔̖͎̟͗̓̏͘͜c̶̨͚̹̦̱̰͎͔̓̄̒͌̀̀̌̾̑͆̚̚͝͝ͅo̶̺̠̣̝̓̂̂̅̀͐̓m̴̢̡̲̭̪̞̗͕͉̣̥͈̱̜͑̃͗͊͐̂͑̽͑͒͝ͅē̶̛͉̘̃̋̿͗̈́̇̆̓͠͝͠͠͠ ̶̨̥̗̝͚̘̦̩͊͜ͅi̸̛̼̟̺͈̍̂̒͊̈̇͠ń̷͎̭̣̦̮́̈́̄̅̄̿ͅ-̸̡̟̞̬̇̑͂̌̇̆̚͝͝ ̷̛̟̜̓̍̿͛̃̎̌͗̏̾̂͠S̶̢͉̥̤̪͓̀̈́͒̐̊̇͜å̸̢̖͖͎̖̼̪͋͛͘y̷̧̛̱̘͓̣͈̑̿͊̿̑͗̓̈́̾̈̇̽̕͠o̵̡̨̳͔͖͉̠̗̙̭̥̊̽͊͑r̶͖̬̹̩̜̦͎̟͓̈͂̆̐͌̆̇̑̓̌̑̉̕͠į̷͓͛̓͆͒̎̄͗̋̉͛͗̕'̶̢͈̫̬̗͇̩̠͔͚͍̂͆̾̓̐̈́̏̚͝͝ͅͅs̵͊͂͛̾͛̿̃̀͛̉̇̕̕͝ͅ ̵̥̬̄n̵͖̞̺͓̘̅͋͋͂͋̉̍̽̕͝͝o̸̫̠͈̜̙̣͋̀̀̂͆̂̆̿͐̀̓̓͠t̴̛͇̮̤͇̗͒̿̐͛̋̆̏̇ ̶̜̜̦̪̹͉͇͇͖͊͊̑̎̔̋͒͐̿͛͗̕̚͘͜v̵̢͓͈̘̈̿̕ę̷̧͖͓̺̜̙̦̲͍̻̫̣̳͌̆r̸̗͂͗͐ͅy̴̨̖̟̘̖̓̾͒̀̅̒̈́͗̋͋͆ ̸̢̼̜̲̥͉̟̙̱͎̇̄͋̈̅̂̂ͅģ̵̰͙͍̺̼̠̦͒̾̀̅̉̿̉͗̇̆̈͘̚ǒ̸̿́̓̐͒̃̈́̉̈́́̑͛̕ͅo̵̖̻̯̟͉̝̩͒̚ḑ̵͓̮̪̩̺̟͖̤̼̞̭̌̃̚͝ ̵͈͉͈̙͖̩͖̱̊͘͝ȧ̴̧͈͚̎̓͗̑̏̈̈̍̾͘t̴͎̒̋͌̋ ̵͎̣̣͌̽̆͒̅b̴͖̙̰̗͎͖͈̻̱̮̌̈́̔̊͜͜͜ͅę̸̢̬̥̞̜͇̬͎̻͇͚͖͌̍̃̚ͅī̷͓̟̘͇̥́̏̃̽̎n̴̼̒̐̈͂ģ̵̧̛̖̅̈͒̐̅̿́́̀ ̸̨̧̙̹͎̮̪͈̙̦̽̇͐̂͝q̸̡̨̯͇̩̩̙̟̳̱̂͗̆̐̿̄͋͘͝u̴̢̢̢̘͔̭̹̠̻̟̱͍̞̟̬̎͛́͑̽̌̈́̈̚͝į̴̧̧̱͙͕̝͈̼̣̙̣͑̔̏̊̄͗̍̿̏̈́͝e̶̢̲͈̘̜͔̱̗̫̱̎̈́̆̈́͝t̸̡̛͍̻̍̀͂͐͐͒͑͑͘̚͝.̴̩͈̻̬͖̪̤̱̻̈́͗͋̌̿̈́̚ ̶̨̧͖͙̯͆̍̉͂̒

~~**_the world flashes and blurs and glitches and_ ** ~~

"...Monika?"

"Oh my goodness, I totally didn't expect to see you here! It's been a while, right?"

"Ah...yeah, it has."

Monika smiles sweetly.

We do know each other- well, we rarely talked, but we were in the same class last semester. I can't remember what class it was, but I do know that she was the most popular girl there- smart, beautiful, athletic.

Basically, completely out of my league. 

So having her smile at me so genuinely feels a little...feels a little...f̶̢̢̗̮̦̭̠̤̞ȩ̵̡̨̠̲͎̗̮̫͎͇̮̋̽̌̊̀͊ě̷̬͙̯̺͉̝̫̩̇ļ̵̥̺̰̗̱̞͙͔͎̺̜̘̂̌̽̊̃͒̓̀͜ṣ̶̩̼̆͋̋̈́̉̄̒͑̍̕̕̕͝ ̸̧̺̗̬͇̪̰̥̥̭̼̂̈́ḁ̷̻̫͕̥̭͑̂͌̒̒ ̷̙͙̬̋̈́ļ̴̛͎̲̝̘̺̺̯̳̖̣͖͌͑̓͋͌̅̾̒͂͊̂̔͗̕ḭ̸̱̣̘̫̰̺͆͗̔̎̿͛ţ̷̧̡̛̻̟̯͉̻̤͊͂̀͠t̸̞̪̜̺̪̖̣͎̋͒̾̑̈́̀̎̑l̷̗̞̥̙͕̭̫̺͌̊̂͜ͅe̵̤̣̱͙̭̜̕

What did you come in for, anyway?" I ask. 

"Oh, I've just been looking for supplies to use for my club. Do you know if there's any construction paper in here? Or markers?"

I shrug. "I guess you could check the closet." 

A thought occurs to me. "Hey, aren't you in the debate club? I didn't know that the club activities involve art..."

Monika giggles. "Ahaha, about that...I actually quit the debate club."

"Really? You quit?"

"Yeah...to be honest I can't stand all the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events. I'd rather take something I enjoy and make something special out of it."

"In that case, which club did you decide to join?"

"Actually, I'm starting a new one! A literature club!"

"Literature...?"

_That sounds kind of dull._

"How many members do you have so far?"

Monika looks away for a moment, her cheeks starting to flush a little. "Um...it's kind of embarrassing, but there are only three of us-"

t̷̢͉̺̗͉̮͛̈́̓͌̒ḧ̶̗͚͇͖̰̳͓͙̪̿̃͒́̇r̶͈̘̫̬͓̘͙̲̞̦͔̃e̷͇̤͍̫̪̖͑̿̔̋̂̂̐͛͑̓̂̚e̴̢̩̊̍̓͐̆͐̋͆̕?̶̧̫̤͍͖̮̉̔̍̑͂̾̈́̐̃̀͝ ̴̻̠̬̩̱̌̈̈́̌̍̇̓̊͛͌͋͝͝b̸̮͇̓̃̅̈̓̇͋͆̐̂͘̚͝͝ư̸̟̠͍͈̐̐͑͛̅̏̌t̶̲̫͖̫̗̳̖̮̰͖̮͗̉́̾̔̎̎̐̈̽̂̋͝͝ ̸͈̗̟̅̈́̈̑̓̈́̏̅̈͝I̷̧̢̧̪̻̯̘̯̩̠̲̳͙̼͕̋͊̆͗̈́ ̶̧̦̳͎̗̼̈́̅̆͑̌̇͠t̸̨̧̨̰̞̠̲̲̣̖̘̗͛ĥ̴͎͈̹͌̔̽̇̍͑̎̔͛̎͠͝ǒ̴̢̗͎̟̲̥̮͔̟͕̥̭̆̋̑͂͆̉͂̇u̵͓̲̼̇́͜ͅg̴̡̨͔̞̤̞̬̥͇͓̽͛̒̊͂̋̈́͗̊͐̅ḣ̶̩̪̉̓́̀̑̚t̶͔͉̪͋̆͆͋̋̆̋̔͘.̴͚̯̻̼̜̃̽̇̈́̌͋͂̈́̆̕̚̚͝͠.̵͕͒̈́͗̔̍̃̇̒̿́̍.̶̟̟̼̖̫̬̣͑͆͋͆̇͆͂̾̓̕̕͘͘͜͠

"-so far. It's really hard to find new members for something that sounds so boring..."

I nod politely. "That must be tricky."

"But it's really not boring at all, you know! Literature can be anything. Reading, writing, poetry...I mean, one of my members even keeps her manga collection in the clubroom."

"Wait, really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Monika giggles. "Yeah, it's funny, right? She always insists that manga is literature, too. I mean, she's not wrong, I guess...and besides, a member's a member, right?"

_Would it be a dumb question to ask how a literature club is different from a regular book club?_

_Probably._

_Wait...did Monika say "she"?_

_I wonder...would that club member happen to have copies of my favorite manga?_

"Hey, Kaito..." Monika begins, "by any chance...are you still looking for a club to join?"

"I guess."

Honestly, if Monika hadn't come in, I would have just packed up and gone home, never to join a club for the rest of my days.

But I can't possibly tell her _that_.

"In any case," Monika says with a sweet smile, "could you do me a big favor? I won't ask you to join, but...if you could at least visit my club, that would make me very happy. Please?"

"Um..."

_Well, it's not like I'm going to do anything important at home...and b̸̡̗̈́̉̏̔͌̽͐͂̄͘̕͠͠e̸͇̯̳̺̣͔̭͎̜͙̱͎͙͕͊̓͛̈́̋͗͛͜ș̷̛̰̫̗͇͎̀͐̐͛̌͠ͅȋ̴̫̯̘͖͍̦̞͔̪̳͛͗̾͆̒d̶̬̜̰̦͓̻͖̄͌́̎̌͜ę̶̪͕̞̝̗̦̖̠͖͙͈̝̍̍͋͑̏̇͆̚͘͝s̴̠̞̼̗͓̩̪̞͖̼̝̽̽̽͜͜ͅ,̵̢̢̰̺͈̲̱̜͉͋̈͋͐̍̆̃̇́̃̋̋̇ ̷̛͉͖̩͇̲̼͕͍̻̃͗̒̾̒̈͐̉̕̚ͅh̶̗̯̭̝̆͌͊̾͐̏͛͌͊̓͘͝ȍ̷̡̡̨̗͕̝͖̬͎̳̋͋͊͑̀̏͛w̶̨̡̬̥͇̠̫͚̗͓͔̻̥͒ ̵̡̠̦̹͎̮̤͍̌c̶̦̬̖͉̟͚͈̱̬̼̔͝ͅò̵͚̙̖͖̭̳̝̦̹͍͉͎͕͇̻̈́̔̒̔̔́̊̚͝͠u̶̧̞̞͇͈͋͘͜l̵̢̞̈̄̌̚ḑ̷̡̡̨̪͉͍͙̗̪̮̩͒̂̓̽̀̇̂̒̍̕ ̵̢̧̢̢͙͍͕̜̠͕̻̖̪͕̎̀̈́̓̀̐̀̍̾̊̓̅̕Į̸̬͚̝͚͎̯͔͙͓̮͇̃͛̒̆̑͘ ̷̧̧̧̖̘̦̣̼̮͔̣̝͊̾͗͒̔̏̕e̶͔͚̠̦̜̒́̋̒̔̈́͗̾͗́̚̚v̴̡̛̥͍͔̭̻̮̓̒̄̑͒͋̓̓͝ē̶̛̮̈́̒̄͠r̴̩͊̃͑̄̚ ̷̟͎̖͍̲̰̒͋̋͂̀͜r̶͎̯̃̎͒e̷̡͇̭̝̙̭̊̽͝͝f̵̢̨̛̲̳̤̥͚̘͔̲͇̯̺̓̀̀͆̾̊́͂̄͆̕̚̚͜͝ư̸͖̺͕̓̆̓̐́̌̔̄͆s̸̢͚̮͚̟̯̼̦̜̋̈͗̆̚͝͠e̴̤͈̰̭̎͊̋̓̏͘ ̴̠̻̜̤̰̭͚̲̫̝̱̱͗̍̊͗̚s̶̘̑́̎̓̒̑̾̕͠ȍ̸̡̢͙͈̻͔̥̼̭̼̟̟̃̎̑̌͒̓̎̅̀̌̒͠͝͠ṃ̷͉̼͎͇͔̃̄͋̈͆͒͐̇̉͌̌̂e̵̻̯̮͉͉̗̹̦̩͇̐̓̿̃͐͂̍̇͛o̴̠̓̊̽͊͠ņ̷̛̭̳͈̙̯̻̤͚̟͕̗̙̔͑̾̚e̶̡̖͖̻̟̣̙͓̖͗̀̆̂͋̄̃̐͜ ̷̼̙̳͑͝l̶̰̲̺͈͍̲̗̘̳̇͆̊̎̈́̉̇̐͐͋̍̕̕͜ȋ̷̢̛͖̣̳̜̩̟̻̼̯̩͇̏͆͌̿͂͠k̶̛̪̱̽̏̀͒̂̍͗͛̇͐̈́̿̕ͅë̸̤͔͈̯͔̤̯̖̔̅̓̈́̏́͂̂͝ ̵̺͔̟͉͚̯͓̝̪̮͔̙̬̎̈̒̓͝M̴̘͓̫̖̗͚͇͎͙̤̿͆͌̕̚͠ó̵̺̮͇͆̕n̸̗͙̜͍͈̫̪̰̮̜͗̇̑͘i̷̡̼̠͖̫̇͛͂̉̃̕͘͝k̴͕̦̳͍͖̖̫̙̠͛̑̇̅̒͂ą̴͕͖͓͙̱̘̃̃͂̈́͐͘͜͝?̶̣͑̃̈͋͑̅͌_

"Sure, I guess I could check it out," I agree. 

"Aah, awesome!" Monika cheers, her green eyes sparkling with joy. "You're really sweet, Kaito, you know that?"

"I-It's nothing, really..." I stutter.

"Shall we go then?" Monika asks. "I'll look for the materials another time-you're more important."

A̴̦͈͎͍͙̥̓͗̓̈̓̈͠n̴̞͉͔̼̪̰͉̉̒͐̍͛͐̈́̃̈̇̂̈͘͜͝d̵̢̞̠̳̱̜̗͆̇̒̀̃̓̋͂͆̉̈̈̕ͅͅ ̵̝̰̜͍̾̾̑͆͂̅t̷͍͔͇̜͓̮̬̻͉̭̤̮̞̒̉̏͐̔͊̒̂͑̕̕͠ḩ̸̛͖̣̱́̐̈̌̇̀͗̓̎̚̕̚u̴͎͈̰͈̰̰͕̘̻̦̺̔̌̊̅̍̏̈͒͌͗̍͐͆͘͠s̵̡̨͕̼̯̹͉̙̙͗̎͐͌̄̈́̂̆͝͝,̶̠͙͉̟͇̞͕̽̄͗̌̾̇͂̒͠ ̵̨̛̙̿̀̓̍͛̉̉̚͜͠t̸̨͍̠͉͇̥͔̟̠͚̞̂̎̂́͐̏̔̍͋͆ͅͅở̸̧̡̛̈́̔͋̉̋͂̽͆̔̑͒̕ḋ̴̨̛̠̫̤̘̹̪̞̤̙̻̥̭͐̅͐̄̈́̄̔̕̚͠ͅa̴̡̹͉̳͎̣̯̙̦̼̠̹̿̓̾͌̒ͅͅȳ̷̡̛̟̤̤͕̼͎̙̆͆̀̈́̉̏̅͂͒̕̚ ̸̗̯̻́̍͊̒͜͝m̴̹̻̦͚̮̫̊̒̊̈̍͒̈́͒̆̔̍̕͜͝͝ͅa̶̢̳̙̣̫͙̘̬̖̝͓͋̆̃͆̐͗̈͂́̿̑̆̎̕r̶̨̧̛̫̳̭̝̫̼̍͂͒́̉̈́̇͐̑̌̕͝ͅǩ̵̨̡̰͖̥̥͕̪͓̹̈́͜s̴̝̫̫͉̩͈͓̗̱̭̮̳͂̈́̅͂̃̊̈̐̍ ̸̧̢͍̻̱́͊̉͛͜t̸̡̨̲͈̫̼͕͈̝̩̻̩̽͌̅̔͑͛̚͠h̵̛̛͕́̽͒̌̀̾̃̽ę̸̺̜̙̻̲̣̥̻͇͈͇̹̹̈͌͐̿͐̊̊͂͗̃̂́͘͝ͅ ̵̛̞̦̖̖̮͗̐́̈̈́͒̐̽̈́͘ḓ̶̢̛̹͇͙̗̞̱̠̠̔̓̿̑͗̈͛͒̄̒͘̚͝ả̷̡̨̗̱̪̮̲̮̻̣̓̇̐̈́̿̓̌̿́̏̕͝͠͠ÿ̴̢̜͕̠̼͎͙̜͈̙̤͕̫͑͆͆̉͗̔̐̈́̓̎̚͠ ̶̛̫͇͐̂̒̊́̇͛͊͝I̶̧̢̝̮͔͎͕̫̒̋͂̅̒̑͝͠ ̶̡̧̧̰̥͇̥̥̠͆̃̋͘͜š̵̥͇͖̪̰͂̓̄̑ͅͅo̴͙̞̒̎͌͌̂̍̈̅̇̏̾͗̆̚͘ļ̶͈̻̯̣̠̞̮͚̞̰̳̝̩͛̉̒͂̎̋̐ḑ̵̛̫̥͖̟̜͖̿̈́̈̽͝͝ ̷̡̢̛̭̠̑́͊̽̔̈m̴̢̨̦͈̺̻̠̲͍̹͘ÿ̷̨͖̘̻̤͇̜̻̗͍͍̻͎̺͇́̽̄͆̍̚̚͝ ̸̛͙̔͂̄͂̕͝s̶͎͍͔͍͉͔͖͎̈̓o̶͔̻̯̠̖̽͒̽̎u̴̘̝̰̹̫͓͓̰̯̝̔͜l̷̡̨͙̭͇̼͇̍̆̽̌̿̌̆̚̕ ̵̬̜͍̦̝͙̓̌̆̓̽͗̂͘͜t̸͙͉̓͑̊̎̂̎̑͋̒̀͘̕͝ǒ̶̩̮͂̋̀̀͘ ̷̡̡̧̛̣͚̥͔̺̭͎̙̆̾̏̓̒̅͌̆̚͝ͅM̸̢̳͎̙̗̪̼̯̺̩̮̥͆͆̊͗̐͒͂o̵̢̨̖̱̓̍̔͗͂̂̾̑̾̿͛̕̕n̷̛̮̟̝͐̋̄̋̋̅̿̕͜͠į̴̺͍̻̪̭͍̥̲̼̞̙̙̫̃̐̽k̶̛͉̻̙͚̿͑͌̌̀̏̃̈́̐̚a̵͉̭̭̻̘̺̋̍͂̚̕͜ ̴̡̬͍̬͉̞͚̥̙̇͒̉͒̚à̵̧̩̦͓̻̙̮̙̣̹̬̯̊̏̋̉̂̌͆͌̿̓̕͜͝n̵̡̢̞̹͉̬͆̏͆̓͋͜͝͝d̸̡͙̥̝̯̳͂̋̀̈́̓̇͘͝ ̷̘̍̐̍͋̏̒͒̅̋͑̓̈h̵̜̼̞͕̭͖͙̘̦̹̮͓͆͗̓͜͠è̶̼̭̼̫̞̪̰̹͖̀̋̓͜ŗ̸̡̰͈̹͓̳̙̱͙̍̇̐̎̃͒̄̐̕͠͠ͅ ̸̡̞̞̔͗͘ͅȉ̷̡̛͈̭̬̹̲̙̹̲̠̖͚̯̉̃̾͒̈́̉r̷̯̘̙̀̏̆͆ř̵̢̖̫͚̱̪̭̔̃̈́̉̂̽͛͜͠͝ͅͅḛ̵̝̗̣̱̳̘̟̤̰͋̒̑̒͐͒̕s̵͔͚̰͉̞̙͚͈̘̗̲̹͚̭͊̀͑̃͂̚͜i̷̖̬̓͗̆̇͛͘s̸̛̹̯̘̯̖̜͋̋̈́͂ṫ̸̨̨̡͇̳̞̞̹̦̼̳͙͕͔̊̂̓͂͗̆̎͝i̶̺͋̏͆͒̏̄͠͝ͅͅb̴̡̭̳̹͉̪͒̑͘̚͜ļ̵̧̧̛̦͇͇̣̟͖̩͈̻̌̃ͅȇ̵̢͉̮͖̳̦͎̱̦̩̼̫͒̿͌̀̄͗̿͐̾͜ ̸̡͕̫̙͙̺̦̆̾̓̾̏͒͗͝s̴̢̡̧̛̰̫̘̤̭̰͉͎̥̪̄̓̀̑̇̐̈̊͛͝͝͠m̵̡͗͐͋̐̅̑͘̕͠ĭ̴̧̛͈͖̫͖̲̺͎̈̈́̓̾l̸̛̖̘̃͌̅̋̓̈̅̽̔̈́̄͝ḛ̸̡̺̝̿̎̅̔̓̅̓́̏̒̎̋̈́͘.̷̡͙̠̭͉͙͉̖̥̰͚͔̭̋̋͒ͅ ̸̢̖̖̜̋͂̉̋̓̓͑̀̐͝

I timidly follow Monika across the school and upstairs-a section of the school I rarely visit, being generally used for third-year classes and activities.

Monika, full of energy, swings open the classroom door.

"I'm back!" Monika says cheerfully, "And I brought a guest with me!"

Sure enough, there are just two other people in the club.

Both members are girls.

One of them is tall, with long, dark-purple hair and a timid expression. 

The other is shorter, with pink hair that's shorter on the front and with a ponytail on the side. 

"E-Eh? A...a guest?" The purple haired girl stammers, looking down at her hands.

The pink haired girl scoffs, hands on her hips. "Seriously? You brought a boy? Way to kill the atmosphere."

_Oh god, I haven't been here two minutes and already someone hates me._

_...This is why I shouldn't interact with people- all I do is make things worse._

"Don't be mean, Natsuki..." Monika reprehends. "Anyway, welcome to the club, Kaito!"

_Should I say something? They're all looking at me..._

"So, let me guess..." the pink haired girl huffs, "you're Monika's boyfriend, right?"

"Wha- No, I'm not!"

_There's no way someone as popular as Monika would date me..._

"Natsuki..." the girl with purple hair says disapprovingly.

The girl with the sour attitude, whose name is apparently Natsuki, is one I don't recognize.

Her small figure makes me think she's probably a first-year.

"A-Anyway, this is Natsuki, energetic as usual," Monika says, gesturing towards Natsuki. She then gestures to the girl with purple hair. "This is Yuri, the Vice-President!"

"I-It's nice to meet you..." Yuri stammers.

I smile at them both. "It's nice to meet you guys."

"So, I ran into Kaito in a classroom, and he decided to check out the club," Monika explains. "Isn't that great?"

Natsuki doesn't look very happy. "Wait! Monika! Didn't I tell you to let me know in advance before you brought anyone new? I was going to...well, you know..."

Monika's face flushes a little. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't forget that, but I just happened to run into him."

"In that case," Yuri begins, "I should at least make some tea, right?"

"Yeah, that would be great!" Monika says with a sweet smile. "Why don't you come sit down, Kaito?"

The girls have a few desks arranged to form a table. Natsuki and Monika sit across from each other; Yuri walks to the corner of the room and opens the closet.

Feeling a little awkward, I take a seat next to Monika. 

"So," Monika begins, "I know you didn't really plan on coming here...but we'll make sure you feel right at home, okay? As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

"I'm surprised there aren't more people in the club yet," I comment. "It must be hard to start a new club."

"You could put it that way," Monika says agreeably. "Not many people are interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new...especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. You have to work hard to convince people you're fun and worthwhile. But it makes school events, like the festival, much more important."

Monika grins at us both. "I'm confident that we can grow this club before we graduate! Right, Natsuki?"

"Well...I guess," Natsuki says reluctantly.

_Such different girls, all interested in the same goal...Monika must have worked really hard to find these two._

Yuri returns to the table, carrying a tea set. She carefully places a teacup down in front of each one of us before setting down the tea pot in the middle. 

"You keep a whole tea set in the classroom?" I ask. 

"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission. After all, doesn't a cup of hot tea help you enjoy a good book?"

"Ah...I-I guess..." I stammer, trying not to sound like an idiot.

Monica smiles sweetly at me. "Ehehehe...don't get intimidated, Kaito, Yuri's just trying to impress you."

"T-that's not..." Insulted, Yuri turns away. Quietly, she mumbles, "I-I mean that, you know..."

"Drinking tea while reading may not be something I've ever done before," I admit, "but I do like tea."

"I'm glad," Yuri says, smiling faintly in relief.

"So, Kaito, what kind of books do you like reading?" Yuri asks curiously.

"...I like reading manga, if that counts."

Natsuki's head suddenly perks up. It looks like she wants to say something, but she keeps quiet.

"N-Not much of a reader, I guess..." Yuri says awkwardly. 

"...Well, that'll change soon," I tell her.

Yuri's smile returns.

"Hey Yuri, what kind of books do you like reading?" I ask.

"Well, let's see..." Yuri says, tracing the rim of her teacup with her finger, "my favorites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The creativity and craftsmanship behind them is absolutely amazing to me. And telling a story in such a foreign world is equally impressive."

Yuri goes on, clearly passionate about her reading; all the shyness she was showing before has completely vanished. She'd seemed so reserved and timid since the moment I walked in, but it's obvious by the way her eyes light up that she finds her comfort in the world of books, not people.

"But, you know, I like a lot of things," Yuri admits. "Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't amazing how a writer can so deliberately take advantage over your own lack of imagination to completely throw you through a loop? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately..."

"Ahahaha," Monika giggles. "I'd expect that from you, Yuri. It suits your personality."

"Oh? Is that so?" Yuri asks, clearly a little confused.

Shaking her head a little, Yuri continues, "If a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."

"Ugh," Natsuki scoffs. "I hate horror."

"Oh?" Yuri asks placidly, "Why's that?"

Despite her demure tone, I can sense she's a little irritated.

"Well, I guess..." Natsuki stops, eyes darting over to me for a second. "Never mind."

"That's right, you like to write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika says, clearly trying to smooth things over.

It has the opposite effect on Natsuki- she blanches, face flushing. "W-what? What gives you that idea?"

"You left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting," Monika explains. "It looked like you were writing on a poem called-"

"Don't say it out loud!!" Natsuki snaps. "And give that back!"

When Monika holds out the piece of paper, Natsuki snatches it back so fast that I hear it tearing a little. She crumples it up quickly, shoving it into her bag. 

"Natsuki, you write your own poems?" I ask.

"Eh? Why do you care?"

"I think that's impressive." I continue. "Why don't you share them sometime?"

"No way!" Natsuki snaps. Looking away, she mutters, "You...wouldn't...like them..."

"Ah, not a very confident writer yet?" I say sympathetically.

Surprisingly, Yuri speaks up. "I understand how Natsuki feels. Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."

Monika eyes Yuri curiously. "Do you have writing experience, too, Yuri? Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers."

Now it's Yuri's turn to look embarrassed. Saying nothing, her expression is one of someone wishing the ground would swallow her whole.

Sounds like Yuri feels the same way.

Honestly, I don't blame either one of them.

We all sit in silence for a moment.

Suddenly, Monika perks up. "I have an idea, everyone! Let's all go home and write poems of our own! Then, next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!"

"Um..um.."Natsuki stutters.

Yuri says nothing.

Monika flushes, looking down at her hands. "Ah...I mean, I thought it was a good idea..."

"Well," Yuri eventually says, "I think you're right, Monika. We should probably find activities for all of us to participate in together. I did decide to take on the responsibility of Vice President, after all...I need to do my best to nurture the club as well as its members."

"I guess it could be fun," I comment. 

_Honestly, it doesn't sound fun at all, but...this club needs four members. I can't let them down._

Monika smiles sweetly at me. "I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone, remember tonight's assignment. Write a poem to bring to the next meeting so we can all share!!!" Monika looks over at me once more. "I can't wait to hear you express yourself, Kaito. Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks, Monika."

C̵̱̦̈́̽̾̈́̄̚a̵̛̘̺̹͉̓̍̎̃̒͌̈͗̋̋͗̔̆̚͜ͅņ̵̨͔̥̘͎̲̜̰̟̯͉̔̋ ̶̫̫̞̀Į̷̗͉̦̙̦͉̹̓̅͝ ̷̛̞̭̯̳̬̱͂͌̋̑r̴̠͎̥̰͔̝̹̬̤͉͔͙̔̆͘͝e̶̛̥͈͙͙̺̤̓̓̋͐̾̊͌̾̀͝ͅä̴̛̬̝͔̪̰̟̱̺̜̿̄͝l̵͚͙͙̱̻̰͓̉͑̏͐͜ͅͅl̸̛̛͓̣̖͇̹̂̾͆̂̓͛͂͒̋̆̈̌ỵ̴̡̲̫̞̠̘͕̖̰̑̈̿͗̕ ̵͙̮̩͚̹̠̣́̈͌̓͜į̴͔͔̭̗̦̑̾͗͆̀̒͗͛͐̍̂m̷̧̲̱̙͉̝̳͈̖̦̠̥̠̬͛̓̄̌͗̓̎͆̕͝p̸̼̓̊͋̒̏͐͆̑ŗ̷̡̢͕͈̺͙̼̱͎̭̍̈́̿͗̾̍͊̑̚ë̵̖̖̲̹̣͋͂̊̆s̸̡̡̛̛̛̾̌͆̓̓́͐̆̈̾ͅs̷͉̪̗͎̯̦͉͉̙͎͒̄͐̑̄̃̈̍ ̶̢̤̼̱̹͈̰̰̗̝̝̤̺͌̔̅̚ţ̸̡̢̖̖͍͔͎͇͖̜̱͎͕̅͐̊͝ḧ̶̥͂͒̔e̷͍̥̯͇̗͑̅ ̴̫̯̱̯̞̺͙̣̗͕͖͋̐̑̏̏̚ͅc̴̨̳̭͔̥͇̥̥̘̜̒̒͐̈́̅͆̈́̾̌ļ̵̨̩͍̗̙͓̲̩̝̜͙͑͆̇̀͛̑̃͛̌̑̿̾͜͜͠͠a̸̧̛̲͑̓̃͛̈́͜ŝ̷͔̹̬̺͇͚̯̠͒̌̀͛̉̀͂̚s̷̢̧͎̗̝̬͕̜͓̙̬͓͂͐ ̵̨̺̮̞͔̬̫͓̋͗͊̇̽̓͒̏̏̀͝͝s̵̨̛̬͓̣͎̰͕̽̅̊̔ͅͅţ̷̝̬̳̯̾̔͋͂̈̏͌̄̉̾́͘ȁ̶̲͇̗̞͈̯͈̱͎̞̟̭̹̗̿͜r̴̢̘̞̳̗̙̘̞̪͕̲͌͋ ̸̛̛̱̝̟̼̩̭͍̪̾͛͂́̈̔̆̕͝M̶̨̞̝͕͖͊͂̾̂͒͑͝o̴̡̨͍͇̣͈̤͖͈͔̩̠̾̌̿͜ͅn̴̳̜̆̇̇̌̅͗̈́̚i̵͈͕̟̗͚̭̙̜̼̫̺̮̓͑͗͊k̸̨̛̺̼̤̟̙̭̒͌͋̾̽̅̑̃̚ả̶̞̬̏̒̈́̂̍̅̇̈́͂̉ ̷̬̿͝ẅ̴̨̡̧͈̬͖̲̞̘̲̻̩͙̤̅̍̉͆̌͜͠͝͝i̴̧̝͙̳̮̐̉͆̊̔͐̒͛̂͒̂́͝ț̷̜́̓h̶̡͕͎̠͎̼̞͉͇͉͐̈͗̔͛̉̂̽̄̆̑͠ ̷̡̨̫̭̞̞̦͍̘̎͆̒͆̒͝m̶̼̭̜̰̲͓͈̱̫̭̖̥͂̓́̅͊̓̐͋͝y̴̛͙͚̯͕͎̺̝̘̾͂͑̅͆͑̅̕ ̵͖̭͓̼̋̒̂͒̈́̄̉̊̆̚̕͠m̸̢̡̳̱̩͕̱̠͈̰͈̐̑́̃͗͛̆̃͘͠ȅ̶̛̪͓̲̖̩̱͓͓̳̻̯͒̏̈̎͊̊̈͘͘̕ͅd̴̛͖̦̀i̸̳̦̣͕̪̇̇͆͋o̷͉̘̮̞̳͒̌͑͗̅͑̎̀̌̉̌͝c̶͍̥̀͐͊͗̂̒͐̕̚̕͝͝ř̷̡͎͖͍̘͓̻͓̹̭͗̊̆̐̅͗̆̓͌͆̕͘͝͝ͅe̵̝̭͖͙͈̭̪͙̔͋̔̕̚͠ͅ ̴̧̜̟̰̤̩̙͉̼̤͔̣͊͆͑͘͝͠͠w̷͓͑̽̊̀̈̂̀͂r̶̩̖͓̖̲͔̦̱̦͑̽̓̎̐̃̓̋͆̕͜͜͠i̷̧̡̘̥͇̼̘̺̞̹̯̟̗͖͐̓t̶͔͓̻̀͐́͒̊̈́̂̈͆̉̃̈́͝i̵̛͓̰̲̦̩̙̮͇̻͋ͅn̵̢̻̥̻̞̆̆̀͐́͑g̸̨̠̩̑̋̈́ ̶̡̢̟͙͙͚̜͇̭̘͓͊͐͗̑͛͑̓̌̈̇͋͘͝͠ṧ̶̢̧̗̞̙͖͔̹̳̤̙̂̌͆͝ͅk̷͍̉̇̎̃i̸̖̪̼͍̖̭̰̬̰̖͆̊͝l̵͕̘͉̹̣̺̮̗̝̠̝̣̱̟͋̒́̉͌̆̈́͒͜͝l̵̡͚̤̲̮̓͆̋͊͋͑̎̈̅̌́͊s̵̹̻͉͔͎̰̱͙̗̞̙̐̆̎̉̾͒͘͘͝?̶̡͕̘͈͚͓̜̤̞̮̟̠̲͇͊̇̑́̉̍̈́̋̆

I already feel anxiety welling up inside me.

Meanwhile, the girls continue to chat as Yuri cleans up the tea set.

"̷̛̟̻͚̟͖͐̈́̂̎̉̂͋͋͘Ḧ̸̞̜̺́͒͂͑͊ë̵̝͇̤̻́̎̆̆͘̚͠y̷̫̒͌̀̈̈́̓̆̐̏̾̀̆͆͘̚,̷̼͖̿̀̉̌̃̑͑̔̔̔̆ ̶̟̱̤̖̞̝̮̣̘͕̞͊̈́̈́́̈́̀̉͌̆̾̕͝͝K̷̨̧̹̝̯̹̪͔̻͔̼̺̳͐̏̈́́̒̊̈͌̐̋͗͜͝͝a̸̬̜͂̈́̇̄͂̿͘͝i̶͎̤̥̖̫̘̺̞̞̺̭̬̒̾͊͊͛̈́̈́̆̑̚͜t̷̫̑̇̊̄̂̃͑̈́͑̔́̋̈́o̶̙̼͕̓͘?̴̡̧̡̨̥͕̰̹͙̩̣̳̦̟̽̆̀͛̊̀̀̒̎̚͘ ̸̢̣̙̲̼̩̤͓̩͇̻͕̆̾̀̊͘͝͝͝ͅS̷̢̛͙̟̟͌͛̎̈́͘i̴̢̛̥͍͖͉̭̣̹̭̠̤̯͒͌̋͌̿͜͝͠n̶̡̑̈́̆̋̂̈́̿̈́̒̈́c̷͙̖͖̞̮̽̐̈́̋̀͊̿͛͘ͅe̷̢̻̣͍͔̗͌̄͑̎͊̆̈́͒̍́͠ ̷̖̹̣̜̥̺̯͛̇́͑͛͋̓̉̈̉̑͋̕͠͝w̷̛͕͎͕̠͔̙̜͔͔̬͕͗͗͂͊ë̶̩͇̟͕̜͓̂͛̇'̷̡̡͖̦̤̲̝̘̜̠̻̖̰̥̼̍ŗ̴̛̠͖̭̱͔͎̜̫̝̮̙͕͐̿̏̚͜͠e̴̡̨̝̝̭̜̺̞͈̳̖͚̭͖͛̎̇̈̆̅̇̐̇ ̸̧̧̗̪̭͕̼̗̘͓̪͉͚̤́͛̔̀̌͒̔́̏̄̃̚͜ą̸̢̢͈̮̬̮̹͍̰̜͈͔̿̊̈́̍͊̄̀̐̿͜͝͝l̷̢͕͍̯̆r̷̨͈̲̜͙̫̮̰̳̱̰̙͉͐̃̋͒̋̾̄͌͑̕͜ͅe̴̡̺̜̺͍̙̎̒̆͑͑̊̆͂̓̽̈́͝a̴̟̦̙͓̬̻̪̦͊̊̓͂̽̽ͅd̴̨̢̢̤̱̻̳̹͍͈̰̘̊̈́̿y̸̤̣̗̋́̋́͆̈͜ ̷̭̗͈̼̤̜̳̮̳̳̲̖̇̍͐͜͠h̶̺̰͈̗̫͔͎͊̈́͆̕͠ͅę̶̫͕̦̦̻͛͑̐̐͐̆͐̂͋͆̃̅̃̌͝ͅr̵̢̤̲͍̣̣͖̭͍͙͙̦͙͙͝ͅȩ̵̗̲̰̤̦̣͈̟̗͙͖̮̮̈̌̑̊̄͜,̸̨̮̙̻̦͇͚̖̻͔̳̳̦͂̒͗͑͛̏͜͠ ̷̨̗͍̫̮̗͕̙͊̑̋̀̉̚͜͝ͅd̵̘͛̇̔̔͠͠o̵̱͇͗͐̑̿̐̆̅̈́̾͗̔̋̊̔ ̶͚̘͍̮͍̯̤̤̗͔̜̍̃͆͌͆̌͘̕y̵̻̩̪̑͐̈̆͂o̵͉̝̗̭̠̦͍̯͚͎̹̭͙͂̒͑͜͝͝ù̷̧̨̨̧͕̦̠̝͈͇̝̤̈́̐̉̒̓̀͌̾̓̀̚̕͘̕ ̴̧̜̭͓͉͈̯̥͔̬̤͙̙̞̅̏̓͛͗̋̓̽̆̈́̈̈́̾̕ͅw̷̟͇̱̝̮̲̄̈́̈́͆̕͝ă̶̡̨̠͖̝̤͎͈̱̣̫̦̝̾̅́̈́͜͜ṉ̶̗̜̱͖̯͊͑̋̒̀̈́̀̓̒̕ţ̷̨̳͕̦̺͓̺̒̉̃̋̀͐̚͝ ̷̳̰̦̪̤̜̝͇̱̉̀͋t̴̢̲͔̭͖̬͗̃́̓̌̀̒͌́̒̈̚͠o̶̧͚̦͙͉͖͖̞̗̗̭̦͙̤̲̔̎̽͛͋ ̸͚͓̯̠̤̄̄̿̏w̷̢̛̘͚̓͂̽̋̆̆̋̿̾̽͒̃͝͝ä̶͚̠̮́̊̉̃̉͌͆̾͐͂̚̕͝l̸̨̢̬̟̗̠̬̤̬͆̈́͆̂͠ͅk̴͍̣̼͔͍͎̩͚̯̹̹̻̭͈̮̀̋̈́̅͋̚͝ ̶̭̞̰͋̅̾h̴̨̛̛̼̺̪͖̙̀͂͂̃͐̈̌̅̏̌̚̕o̶̢̢̩̘̻̹̣̺̳̩̘̝̹̅̆̂̓̄͌͛͊̅̕m̸̞̰̭̀̾͌͛͛̆̚̕͠ȩ̸̝̝̬͓͈͓̦̥̞̩̄ ̸̛̟̊̆̑̇̃̍̆̎̉̈́̃̎t̶̨̡̳̪̮̄̐͝o̸̡̢̠̬͕̲̜̺̥̥̝͕̘͌̒͛̎̈́̊͊̅͊̚̕͠ͅg̵̡͎̤̤̱̥̩͕͇̙̠͔͂̾͋͐͒ȇ̶̡̯̱̻̭̜͔̜̻̟̱̱̫̳̊̈̓͌̉͐̉̃̏̍͘̚͝ẗ̵͓͔͙͖̰̹̖̭̹͈͎͓̥̼́͐̈́͑̋͘h̴̢̛̠̟͚͋̐̆̓͆̌͋͗̉͒̊͆ȩ̸̲̖͍͓̘͚̦̘̣͖̱̺̪̦̊̓͋̉͗͒̋̂́r̵̮̬͎̰͚̱̖̭̮̘͈̽͆͑̏̎͊̃̒͒͋̔̓̂͝?̷̯̈́͛̔͌̒̓̓̏̈́̅̚͠"̷̬̲̩͔̭͔̖͙̈̔̒̈́̏̚͝

_My head is starting to hurt a little..._

"Well, I guess I'll be on my way, then..." I say awkwardly.

Monika looks up from her conversation and smiles sweetly at me. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow, then. I can't wait!"

With that, I depart the clubroom and make my way home. 

The whole way, my wanders between the f̵̧̲̩̮̺̖̹̞͕̟͐̑͋̉͒͆͊̽̽̂̈͂͘͘o̶̧͍̥̭̣̜̟̭̗̞̤͐̂̽̑͋͌̔̈́̕ǘ̷̢̞̲̟͓̭̥͛͝͠ͅr̴̢̧̢̹͖͎̬̻̜̓̋̉̓̐͂͘ three girls, whether or not I'll be happy in a Literature Club, and whether or not I...

Well! I'll just need to make the most of my circumstances, and I'm sure good fortune will find me.

Probably.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Anyway, I guess that starts with me writing a poem tonight...how hard can it be?

***Save**

Alright, I've got a fresh piece of paper, a recently sharpened pencil, and some vaguely inspirational music to listen to.

Time to start writing. Any second now, inspiration is going to appear in my mind like some kind of...who am I kidding, this is never going to work.

Why did I think I could pull this off? 

"Okay," I say to myself, "you just have to think what the others might like. Natsuki likes...cute stuff, and Yuri likes...deep stuff. No idea what Monika likes."

Since I have no clue what to write, I figure I might as well pull up one of those random word generators online, and go from there. Let's see...how many words do I want?

Does it matter?

I'll go with ten. That seems like a good enough number. 

_I just need to think about this for a moment..._

_Okay, time to start writing!_

I look back down at the sheet of paper in front of me.

_!_

Somehow, there's already a poem written down on the previously blank piece of paper.

Not only that, it's in my handwriting!

_Did I...just write a poem without realizing it?_

Huh.

It's kind of a weird poem, though.

Not only that, but it's pretty long as well, I must have _really_ been out of it to not notice that I was writing.

_**two doors down** _

_in the backyard of the abandoned house two doors down from me_   
_is a tall and mighty tree_   
_it's the kind of tree that parents warn their kids against climbing_   
_because this is an unforgiving tree_   
_it's so easy to fall from the unstable branches_   
_just a slip of the foot_   
_or a misplaced step_   
_is all it takes for gravity to become your enemy._

_no one's lived in that house for as long as i can remember_   
_everyone says it's haunted or something_   
_and maybe it is, but not by ghosts or anything spooky_   
_i think it's haunted by a feeling of grief_   
_of loss_   
_haunted by memories of...._   
_something or other._

_in the backyard of the abandoned house two doors down from me_  
 _is a tall and mighty tree_  
 _i would never jump out of it on purpose but i can't help but wonder how it feels like to fall_  
 _down_  
 _down_  
 _down_  
 _whether or not if, for just a moment, it feels like flying_  
 _or as close to flying as a person can get_  
 _and maybe that's why i keep climbing-_ _because i have no reason not to fall  
because i want to feel the adrenaline  
the rush of air  
roaring in my ears  
_  
 _so tie a ribbon around your neck_  
 _because you want to look your best_  
 _ignore the feelings in your chest_  
 _take the thoughts out of your head_  
 _it isn't life or death_

_in the backyard of the abandoned house two doors down from me  
is a tall and mighty tree  
it's the kind of tree that parents warn their kids against climbing  
because this is an unforgiving tree  
it's so easy to fall from the unstable branches  
just a slip of the foot  
or a misplaced step  
is all it takes for gravity to become your enemy._

_i would never jump out of it on purpose but i can't help but wonder how it feels like to fall_   
_down_   
_down_   
_down_   
_and impact on the ground_

Still, it looks vaguely poetic, so I guess this'll work? 

_ping!_

Oh, I got a notification- someone must be messaging me. 

Let's see...

**Player: DO NOT SHOW YOUR POEM TO HER**

_p_ i _ng!_

**Player: DO NOT SHOW YOUR POEM TO HER**

_p_ i _ng!_

**Player: DO NOT SHOW YOUR POEM TO HER**

I really shouldn't text back. But...

 _p_ _ing!_

_ping!_

_ping!_

_ping!_

**KitKat: stop it!**

**Player: You can see this! I didn't know whether or not you were able to**

**KitKat: why are you messaging me???? and what do you mean by 'showing this to her"**

**Player: your poem you can't show it to HER she'll know**

**Player: she cant know!!!!!!!**

This must be some kind of stupid prank. I can picture it now- some person must be making an online video of them trying to annoy and freak out total strangers on the internet.

I really shouldn't go along with this.

**KitKat: dude**

**KitKat: i don't even know you**

**Player: look i know you must be suspicious but this is VERY IMPORTANT**

****Player: the fate of your world depends on this!!!!!!!** **

****KitKat: lol** **

****Player: please you can make fun of me as much as u want** **

****Player: but you can't show that poem in lit club** **

****_Wait, what?_

**KitKat: wut**

**Player: please**

**KitKat: r u sum kind of stalker?!**

**Player: please!!!!!**

**Player: listen, i kno this sounds sketchy. but have you noticed that something's wrong? something's missing, and you don't know what?**

**KitKat: ...**

**Player: SHE CANNOT KNOW THAT YOU FEEL THIS WAY OR SHE WILL DELETE EVERYTHING AND START OVER**

**Player: PLEASE JUST WRITE ANOTHER POEM!!!!!!!!**

**KitKat: dude, i'll write another poem.**

**KitKat: just...why are you messaging me????**

**Player: i'll explain tomorrow.**

**Player: whatever you do, DO NOT show this poem to her.**

**KitKat: who's her???**

**Player: cant say her name she know when someoe is talking about her. just trust me.**

Well, this is super creepy and weird.

But...somehow I trust this random stranger on the internet, and I don't know why.

...Just to be safe, I'm writing another poem.

***Save**


End file.
